Welcome to the week. Here are the most noteworthy items our community came across in the past seven days…
Bike repair subsidies: France will provide about $75 per person to keep their bicycles tuned up and rolling in a bid to sweeten the cycling pot post-lockdown. Imagine the economic boost this could give bike shops!
Equity and open streets: Chicago’s main bike/walk advocacy organization has cited equity concerns as a reason to resist calls to limit driving access on some streets to create more distance and safety. Here’s what social justice and other community groups think about the idea.
Cars or cafes?: Maybe Portland would get more traction for carfree streets if we approached the issue like Lithuania’s capital city of Vilnius, which plans to remove auto parking spaces so cafe owners can set up physically-distanced dining tables in streets.
Paradigm shift is nigh: “The pandemic offers a glimpse of what one possible carbon-neutral future could look like,” writes the Christian Science Monitor in an article on making cities more bike-friendly post-pandemic.
Make the boom last: The one and only Carlton Reid drops essential reading on why biking boomed in the 1970s and how to make sure America’s renewed interest in cycling sticks this time around.
COVID-19 advocacy: Washington-based bike advocacy group Cascade has issued a four-point plan and is calling on its members to sign a petition and contact elected officials to make sure bicycling is supported during the pandemic and emerges from the crisis stronger.
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Transit demographics: A fascinating look at who’s riding transit still reveals a lot about urban transportation behaviors and mobility justice.
Mapping quarantine: What does your personal map look like during the ‘Stay Home’ order?
Choosing cars: We can count on the evil auto industry to play on fears of the virus to sell cars. They’re already licking their lips.
Deadly trucks: When an auto enthusiast outlet raises the alarm that NHTSA doesn’t do enough to rein in dangers of massive trucks, you know the issue is (finally!) gaining traction.
‘Big Bike’ strikes again!: The National Motorists Association (an actual, real thing) is on the case of how the bike lobby is taking over cities nationwide with anti-car policies.
No driving test: The DMV in Georgia has dropped the final driving test requirement for teens because it can’t be administered with distancing requirements in place.
Paris gets it: The mayor of the French capital is not messing around when it comes to seizing the moment to change the future of mobility in her city for the better.
Bikenomics: Forget health, happiness and clean air – the positive economic impact of active mobility makes for a very strong argument.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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